Anne Hillerman

Santa Fe’s charming Osteria d’Assisi takes a fresh, Mediterranean approach to food.

The Osteria greets you with the perfume of longsimmered sauces and perhaps a subtle hit of garlic. We charmed the hostess into seating our party of four at a table directly in front of the fireplace — ask for this table when you eat here. It’s quiet and gives you a nice view of the front room, one of four dining areas, if you count the upstairs room often used for private parties. The atmosphere is elegant in an understated way. You won’t feel uncomfortable in jeans for dinner here, but the food is definitely dressed-up.

The Osteria d’Assisi opened in 1995, transforming an old hou...

Dinner at the elegant Anasazi Restaurant is a feast on many levels.

Under the steady hand of chef Oliver Ridgeway, the food is creative without becoming too fussy or experimental. Serving size is ample, neither too skimpy nor overly large. The beautiful presentations add to the joy. The small wait staff attended to us and a dining room filled with other customers with friendly professionalism.

From appetizers to desserts, our dinner was memorable. Soft lighting, diamondfinished stuccoed walls, interesting petroglyph-style artwork, and earth-colored flagstone provide the ambiance. The design allows enough space between tables for private conversations at a reasonable noise le...

As the northern New Mexico restaurant reviewer for the Albuquerque Journal, the question I’m asked most frequently (besides “How can I get your job?”) is “What’s your favorite restaurant?”

First, some generalizations. Like you, dear reader, I like restaurants that treat customers as if we matter. I like places that do justice to old favorites and whose creative kitchens tempt me with dishes I hadn’t considered. I love a good meal that’s also a good value. A pleasant environment matters, too. Give me a diner that smells like freshly-baked pie or simmering chile; or a dining room like Terra’s with stunning views of the Jemez Mountains. Or Sunrise Springs’ magical...

Does winter seem an unlikely time to open a new salad restaurant?

Well, after the 12 Days of Christmas come the long weeks of dieting until Valentine’s Day. Vinaigrette joined the Santa Fe restaurant scene about two months ago, and customers can’t seem to get enough, even on days when the high temperature hovers at the freezing mark. Vinaigrette owner Erin Wade must be ahead of the curve. (Santa Fe’s isn’t nicknamed The City Different for nothing.)

It was a stretch for me to consider a salad lunch on a snowy afternoon when green chile beckoned, but I discovered two things: Vinaigrette has hot food and good coffee, and a colorful salad helps cure the winter blahs. The...

Los Amigos serves New Mexican food and plenty of it –– at a price most Santa Fe families can afford.

Welcome to one of 2008’s restaurant newcomers, a friendly, non-corporate face on the south side of town near the intersection of Rodeo Road and Richards Avenue. Convenient to Santa Fe Community College and several commercial centers, Los Amigos can get busy. The first time I stopped here for lunch, I captured the last open parking place in the newly paved parking lot.

Inside, the restaurant has a fresh clean look. It smells good, too, like Grandma’s kitchen if Grandma made chile. Tables in the two dining rooms accommodate about 60 diners, and the size adds coziness. T...